The present embodiments relate to improving the quality in a packet-based communication network that includes a plurality of network nodes
In many applications distributed across a communication network, the data transmission with respect to an end-to-end delay (e.g., delay) and/or a delay variation (e.g., jitter) is to not exceed specified limit values, so that the desired quality of service of the application is achieved. This applies, for example, to communication networks developed in the industrial sphere (e.g., for plant automation, process automation or energy automation). Only network technologies based on time division multiplexing (TDM) may meet predefined requirements for delay values and jitter values along communication paths embodied within the communication network. Network technologies that may be suitable in this connection are synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. Because of complexity and high costs (e.g., in the case of scaling), the network technologies may not be deployed in many application scenarios.
For reasons of complexity and the low costs, even in the case of scaling, packet-based communication networks may be deployed. Such communication networks are, for example, communication networks based on Ethernet or Internet Protocol (IP). However, one problem with packet-based communication networks is that no guarantees may be given as regards delay and/or jitter.
Although complex extensions of Ethernet (e.g., an isochronous real-time transmission (IRT) for PROFINET) that emulate a deterministic behavior of the communication network by TDM are known in the field of Industrial Ethernet, this technology may only be deployed with the use of special hardware and a highly complex configuration.